TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 9 seeded University of Cincinnati tennis team won its third consecutive match to upset No. 7 seed Georgetown 4-0 on the final day of the BIG EAST Women’s Tennis Championship in Tampa, Fla. The Bearcats bounced back from a first-round defeat to win out in the consolation bracket and earn a ninth place finish.

“The girls played well as a team today” said head coach Angela Wilson. “The doubles play was very strong. It is great to end our season with a win.”

Cincinnati worked its third shutout in as many matches, blanking the Hoyas 4-0. The team started the match with strong doubles play, collecting two wins. Freshman Kelly Poggensee-Wei (Lake Villa, Ill./Grayslake North) and sophomore Kristina Georgieva (Varna, Bulgaria/Varna Sports School) cruised past Sophie Panarase and Taylor Perz 8-1 on court No. 3. The tandem won its doubles match in all three BIG EAST Championship victories for the Bearcats. Seniors Jasmine Lee (Canton, Ohio/Glen Oak) and Caitlin O’Gara (Springboro, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick) collected an 8-4 win over Liz Hamlin and Victoria Sekely in the top position to clinch the doubles point and put UC up 1-0.

The Bearcats carried the momentum into singles action where they won on three courts. Freshman Hannah Wille topped Hamlin 6-1 in the opening set on court No. 5 before Hamlin retired. Junior Ashleigh Witte (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) then earned a 6-1, 6-3 win over Panarese in the third slot and O’Gara secured the victory with a 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Kelly Comolli in the second position.

The win secured a ninth-place finish for Cincinnati for the second consecutive year. The Bearcats finished the season with a 13-11 record, marking their first winning record since going 16-9 in 2009.